This Thursday evening, Pep Guardiola and José Mourinho will face-off for the 19th time in a heated managerial rivalry that dates back to 2009. In their previous 18 encounters The Special One has only come out on top four times while the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager has twice as many wins.

Add to this fiery mix the fact that both of their teams are chasing top-four places, and with only a point separating these two halves of Manchester, this may well be one of the biggest clashes between the two clubs in recent history. Here's everything you need to know...

The form

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United head to the Etihad on Thursday evening on the back of three consecutive wins. Their extra-time defeat of Anderlecht last week has pushed Mourinho men's into the semi-final of the Europa League, while their 2-0 win against Burnley on Saturday has moved them within a point of their Manchester rivals.

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A win for United will see them overtake the Blues in the table and re-enter the top four for the first time since September, and a win for either side will put them in poll position with just under a month left of Premier League fixtures.

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Guardiola's side, however, are looking for a response following their cruel extra-time loss in the FA Cup semi-final against an Arsenal side desperate to avoid another trophyless campaign.

Pep's opening season in England has been a difficult learning process, with his City side looking like they'll end the campaign under the Spaniard without a trophy - the first season without silverware in Guardiola's ten-year managerial career.

Although it'll be considered a disappointment, critics are harsh in saying that 2016-17 has been a failure for the Manchester City manager. Given the tools he was presented with last summer - an ageing squad including full-backs past their prime - he's done an adequate job of keeping his side in the top four race and batting off a United side who've gone 26 games unbeaten in all competitions.

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Finishing outside the top four may well be unacceptable though, and so Thursday's meeting will definitely be the biggest occasion in Pep's City career so far.

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Team news

Although the broadcasters have decided to schedule another United match at the inconvenient time of midday Sunday, it is unlikely to have a big effect on Mourinho's team selection on Thursday. If there's a game to rest his core players, it will be against Swansea - a fixture sandwiched between a local derby and a Europa League semi-final against Celta Vigo.

Mourinho's derby side is almost guaranteed. After impressive displays at Turf Moor on Thursday, Marcus Rashford and Henrikh Mkhitaryan should consider themselves starters at the Etihad. Moreover, by bagging the opener at the weekend, Anthony Martial has surely given Mourinho a taste of the "things that he likes".

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Antonio Valencia, who is having some fitness issues, uploaded a positive gym video to his social media while David de Gea and Eric Bailly - United's only fit specialist centre-half - should be first on the team sheet, while makeshift centre-back Daley Blind will slot in besides the Ivorian.

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Marouane Fellaini, Ander Herrera, and Paul Pogba have flourished as a midfield trio in the last three league wins, but the Frenchman is ruled out with injury, so United could see Michael Carrick – a veteran of 22 Manchester derbies – return to the starting line-up.

So, assuming the United manager retains his usual 4-3-3 formation, there might just be one place up for grabs: left-back – a slot that Luke Shaw, Ashley Young, and Matteo Darmian will vie for.

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Following their injury scare last weekend, Manchester City have now been handed a positive update ahead of the derby.

Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho and Sergio Agüero and David Silva all came off injured at Wembley, making them doubts for the United game. But the former recently told mancity.com that he can "recover very well by Thursday and should be 100 per cent for the game", while Agüero has been declared fit to play. Silva has been ruled out, however.

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Key clashes

1. Rashford/Martial vs Jesús Navas

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This may well be the decisive battle. If either Rashford or Martial start on United's left-wing (both with gas to burn) it could be a long night for Jesús Navas, City's current makeshift right-back, who's fallen out of favour with Guardiola this campaign.

Navas did actually restrict Alexis Sánchez a fair amount last weekend, but his defensive positioning was exposed when Nacho Monreal slotted in the equaliser for Arsenal at the back post.

So, engaging in a foot race with either of United's two fastest players may expose Navas' defensive shortcomings. And having had a hand in four goals in his past four games for United, Rashford may capitalise on this and punish the Spaniard by continuing his fine form on Thursday evening.

Probably the biggest positive for Guardiola on a disappointing afternoon against Arsenal was Yaya Touré's performance. One of the standouts in the middle of the park, the Ivorian provided the assist for Agüero's equaliser and hit the post at 1-1, but unfortunately his attempts to pick City up and drag them into the final on his own were fruitless.

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Coming into the game after such an impressive display will ensure that his battle with United's midfield trio will be a tasty one. Against Chelsea earlier this month, Herrera and co successfully stifled Chelsea's Matić-Kanté axis with success, but they've yet to face a more attacking-minded force like Touré.

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Will Herrera be able to shut out a man who likes to physically dominate his opponents? Can Fellaini keep his cool and not swing an elbow when colliding with the huge Ivorian? Will an aged Carrick cope with a man who's often troubled United's midfield in past seasons?

3. Sergio Agüero vs Daley Blind

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How will Daley Blind cope against the nimble feet of Agüero?

During the sides' match at Old Trafford in September, a lapse of judgement against an Aleksandr Kolarov long-ball saw Blind outwitted and beaten to the ball by a slick-footed Kevin De Bruyne, who then went on to slot it past de Gea.

Since, Blind has proven to be reliable, but can City's top scorer, and the man who scored from the spot and troubled the Gunners at the weekend, cause more problems for the Dutchman on Thursday? If their match-up comes down to a series of foot races between the two, we may see United's auxiliary defender exploited by City's world-class striker.

Where and when?

The Manchester derby kicks off at 20.00 GMT this Thursday evening and will be live on Sky Sports 1.